Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The Creative Workshop Central is pleased to announce the arrival of the book, 21 Steps to Better Relationships: Find More Balance with Others, at an online bookstore near you!

21 Steps... delivers 21 bite-sized portions
of inspiration designed to help you find better balance in
your relationships—regardless of who they are. Find links to the books and eBooks at: 21stepstorelationships.com, or at Amazon and other online retailers.

I am looking forward to hearing the stories of how 21 Steps to Better Relationships
is helping YOU find more balance in your connections with others.
Remember: it all starts with you. Connect with yourself; Connect with
others; Connect with the world.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex,
and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lotof courage—to move in the opposite
direction. Albert Einstein

We are all gifted with powerful thoughts, feelings, and
intuition. Taking time to listen to our intuition and choose responses to our
thoughts and feelings wisely will increase our chances of experiencing
harmonious interactions. To soften your
stance is to step back from your natural impulse to speak or act with power
and force and either choose a gentler response or none at all. Sometimes
nothing is the best thing to say and often the best thing to do.

When we soften our stance, we become aware of the impact we
have on those around us and learn to respond in appropriate and effective ways.
Even when we are very passionate about something—which can create more
intensity and enthusiasm—we can consciously choose to pause, breathe, and think
before speaking or acting. By calming ourselves and resting in our perspective,
we can choose how to respond to our thoughts and feelings with calm confidence.

Our interactions with others provide the best opportunities
for us to learn about ourselves. Through observation and feedback, we can learn
how to soften our stance and pay attention to our approach. We can learn to
discern between impulse and intuition, see the bigger picture, and consider our
options before our actions.

Soften your stance to give
yourself and others more room to connect fully.

Heidi is a well-respected and powerful senior manager of a
Fortune 500 corporation. She has risen to the top of every team she’s managed
and is known to speak her mind when action is needed. Since she is a natural
problem solver, people come to Heidi for solutions. Over the years, however, Heidi
began to feel overwhelmed, and her relationships with co-workers and
supervisors became difficult and stressed.

When Heidi learned she could soften her stance, she had a
personal epiphany. Her natural inclination was to be vocal and outspoken, but
she realized that she didn’t always need to share her thinking. Heidi realized
she could pick and choose where and when to focus her energy. When she
committed to not doing and saying her
first impulse, others around her were able to step up. Within a month, Heidi's
blood pressure went down, her happiness went up, and her relationships
improved. Heidi discovered a new type of personal power.

Questions:

·In which areas of your relationships could you
benefit from learning to soften your stance?

Tired of pushing your
pitch? Remember that we learn the most by sharing ideas through collaboration
rather than collision. This week, pay attention to the next time you’re asked
to take action or you’re trying to get your point across. Pause, think, and try
softening your stance. Notice how it shifts your energy and the energy between
you and others.

About Me

Michael Thomas Sunnarborg is an inspirational speaker, best-selling author, and life
transition coach. His passion is to help people reclaim their power of choice and find
better balance in their work, relationships, and life—especially during transitions. Michael currently resides in Minnesota and enjoys traveling to new
destinations, meeting interesting people, and having quality conversations over
good food. Learn more at michaelsunnarborg.com